The Comparison of Basic Transportation Indicators and Freight Villages' Locations Between Germany and Turkey

In general manner; Turkey and Germany are quite unlike countries in terms of transportation infrastructure and logitics facilities. Many reasons, most of them ground historical reasons, could be regarded such as; geographical location, industrial history, economic. For whatever reason might be; in today?s context the world witness the highest logistics performans index score in Germany and an aggressively developing country in Turkey. As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation, Germany leads in developing logistics strategies and services as a key member of the continent's economic and political structure. On the other hand, Turkey has got a real strategic location between the continents but traditionally has problems with transportation mode distribution and interconnectivity of systems that prevent Turkey to undertake the 'hub' role for its region and achieve economic benefit. The efficient mobility of people and freight is a prerequisite for modern economic success. Due to increasing globalization, transportation of freight and logistics play an ever important role in a country's ability to compete in the global market. Global supply chains require a large number of high-performing physical interfaces, such as container terminals, seaports and/or freight villages, to establish a perfect material flow along the entire world. From this point of view; Germany is chosen as the best perfomed country all over the world. Likewise, Turkey needs a kind of a 'benchmarking' in order to overcome transportation and logistics infrastructural and strategic problems. The aim of this paper is to focus on the successful strategic location desicion of freight villages and transportation mode distribution of Germany. In accordance with this purpose, first section of this paper is substantially based on secondary data gathered from a wide variety of sources including Turkish/German Statistical Institutes, Ministries of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication and NGO's of the sector besides European Commision Statistical Office (eurostat) and academic studies. Data gathered is used to point the current transport indicators of Turkey with respect to Germany. Afterwards analyzing the primary transportation and logistics index, the mind behind transportation organisation is presented. Finally; the lessons to be taken for Turkey is presented and future policy in transportation and logistics are guided. The results regarding with the transportation modes indicate that, the finest detail is hidden behind the railway investments and its connections within other transportation modes for Turkey. In a similar manner, Germany's logistics workforce and infrastructure is geographically concentrated along the Rhineland, through the industrial heartland of the Ruhr. But in Turkey, unbalanced regional development force country to polarised development around Marmara Region.